Pallet box



.1. M. LADD PALLET BOX March 13, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed D90. 11, 1952 INVENTOR. Jo/zrz ZZZQQQZ,

United States Patent PALLET BOX John M. Ladd, Roselle, Ill., assignor to General Box Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application December 11, 1952, Serial No. 325,247

Claims. (Cl. 217-12) This invention relates to a portable material handling container and more particularly to a wire-bound, knockdown type of box having a pallet portion formed integrally therewith, and yet which has the sides formed as a mat so that it may be stored or shipped in a knock-down condition.

It is common practice in industry today to handle containers or boxes with a so-called lift truck, for which purpose a separate pallet is ordinarily provided upon which the container is supported so that it can be handled by such a device. In addition, in order to provide for the successful stacking of certain containers, pallets having a vertical, load-supporting frame work have been provided so that the load when they are stacked is borne by the pallets rather than the containers themselves.

It is also common practice today to employ in many instances a knock-down type of container which can be readily assembled when needed. Providing containers with an integrally formed pallet portion would seem to be a desirable step in order to eliminate the necessity of handling a separate element. However, in the field of knock-down containers providing an integrally formed pallet portion presents a very diflicult problem since it is highly desirable that the disassembled container occupy a minimum amount of storage or shipping space, and preferably be able to be nested.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a knock-down pallet box in which the pallet portion thereof is formed integrally with the sides of the box which are, in turn, in the form of a mat which, before assembly, is adapted to lie fiat and to be nested during storage or shipping.

Another object of this invention is to provide a knockdown material handling box with an integral pallet portion and yet which can be assembled by a simple nailing operation in addition to the usual securing of the wires binding the sides of the box, in the conventional manner.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a knock-down, material handling, pallet box into which entry of mechanical handling equipment may be made from all four sides.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a pallet box of the character described which is relatively light in weight, and yet which provides high stacking strength, high edge-to-edge compressive strength and high resistance to collapse of the base or pallet section.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a knock-down pallet box which is relatively simple in construction and which therefore may be produced relatively inexpensively.

With these and various other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the specification, drawings and claims appended hereto.

In the drawings: v t

Figure l is a perspective view of a pallet box embodying one form of the invention which is the subject matter of this application;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the various parts of the pallet box shown in Figure l in a disassembled or knocked-down condition;

Figure 3 is a view in elevation and partly in vertical section of the pallet box shown in Figure l, the view being taken along lines 3-3 of that figure;

Figure 4 is a view in elevation and partly in vertical section of the pallet box shown in Figure 1, the view being taken along the lines 4-4 of that figure; and

Figure 5 is a plan view from above of the pallet box shown in Figure l with certain elements partly broken away.

Turning now to Figure 1, a portable material handling pallet box is shown therein designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The sides of the box are in the form of a wire-bound mat (as best shown in Figure 2), the facing material of which-may take the form of the panel slats 12 having the downwardly extending intermediate portions 13 and the corner slats 14 on each side thereof. The two corner slats 14 are of substantially the same length as the panel slats at their intermediate portion and of substantially greater length than the panel slats 12 on both sides of the intermediate portions l3 so as to form openings such as 15 and 17. The upper ends of the two corner slats 14 and the upper edge of the panel slat 12 forming each side of the assembled box are secured to and aligned with an upper cleat 16 having beveled ends 18 so that the adjacent ends of the cleats 16, on adjacent sides of the box, are adapted to fit together when the mat is folded, to form a substantially right angle.

The intermediate cleats 20 may be secured to the inner surfaces of the corner slats 14 and the panel slats 12 flush with the lower edge 22 of the panel slats 12 on both sides of the intermediate portions 13. Each of these intermediate cleats 2G is also provided with a beveled end 18 in the same manner as the upper cleats 16. Similarly the base cleats 24 may be secured to the inner surfaces of the corner slats l4 and intermediate portions 13 of the panel slats at the lower extremities thereof, each of the base cleats 24 also having a beveled end 18.

The four sidesso formed may be secured together in aligned relation to form an elongated mat by the flexible wires 26 in the conventional manner, the wires being secured in place with the staples 28. The cleats 16, 2i) and 24 are secured to the corner slats 14 and the panel slats 12 by the staples 28 which also secure the wires 26.

As best shown in Figure 1, the mat formed by the four sides just described may be folded so that each end of each cleat closely abuts the end of an adjacent cleat, and the loops 3% formed in one end of the wires 26 may then receive the opposite ends 32 thereof in fastening relation, in the conventional manner. When the mat is so folded and secured, the intermediate cleats 2% provide a support for the bottom or floor 34. This floor 34 may be formed of a single piece of material as shown in Figure 2 or may be made up of a plurality of slats, as desired. In any event, a batten 36 is secured flush with two of the opposite sides of the floor, on the lower surface thereof, and a similar batten 38 may be centrally secured to the underside of the floor 34 in parallel relation to the side battens 36. When the floor 34 is inserted in the folded mat, it may be disposed so that the battens 36 rest upon oppositely disposed intermediate cleats 20, as best shown in Figure 4.

Either prior to the insertion of the floor 34, as just described, or after it has been put in place, a reinforcing member 46 may be inserted, if desired, between two oppositely disposed pairs of cleats 20 and 24, each. end

and 24, as best shown in Figure 4. The intermediate portions 13 at the ends of the reinforcing member 49 may be secured thereto by means of nails 43, or the like. Preferably the reinforcing member 49 is disposed perpendicular to the side battens 36 and the central batten 38, and between the elongated blocks 54 and 56 secured to the bottom surface of the batten 38 by nails 58 so that it is centrally aligned between the two sides of the container to which it is parallel. After the reinforcing member 40 has been so disposed, three fastening members, such as the nails 44, 46 and 43, may be driven through the floor 34 and the battens 36, 33 and 36 into the reinforcing member 40, as best shown in Figure 4. These fastening members 44, 46 and 48 serve a dual purpose in that they secure both the floor 34 and the reinforcing member 40 in place. The container may then be tip-ended and two additional fastening members, such as the nails 50 and 52, may be driven through the base cleats 24 which are received in the notches 42 at the lower edge of the two extremities of the reinforcing member dil. These two nails serve to hold the reinforcing mcmber40 in place.

The blocks 54 and 56, previously mentioned, which are secured to the bottom of the batten 38, are of a length sucn that they are adapted to fit snugly between the intermediate cleats 20 and the reinforcing member ii) and are useful primarily to provide an abutment surface for the forks of a conventional lift truck when the forks are inserted on either side of the reinforcing member and parallel thereto. The thickness of the blocks and Sr. is such that the lower surface thereof lies substantially in the plane of the lower surfaces of the intermediate cleats 20, as best shown in Figure 4.

The reinforcing member 40 may have the sections 59 and 6:) cut therefrom intermediate the ends on each side of the center thereof, to provide openings into which the forks of the lift truck may extend when the fork is inserted in the pallet portion of the box, in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the reinforcing member 40. If these openings are provided in the reinforcing member 40, it is therefore possible to enter the pallet portion of the box with mechanical handling equipment, such as the fork of a lift truck, from all four sides. This, of course, is a very desirable feature.

While the illustrative example of the invention disclosed the pallet box having each of its sides formed with an intermediate portion 13, it will be understood that. me invention contemplates a structure where any number of the side walls may be so constructed in which event the panel slats not so formed with such portion may terminate at 22 or may extend downwardly and be secured to the base cleats 24. Furthermore, in certain instances the reinforcing member 40 may not be required, Irh circumstances it will be unnecessary to iucomoratc the same into the pallet box structure.

h the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the dr .arings is provided with solid sides, it, of course. would be possible to construct these sides in any suitable alternative manner such as with spaced slats, either vertically or diagonally disposed. It is also conternplated that the beveled ends 18 on the several cleats 16. 2t), and 24, respectively, be replaced, if desired, by complementary mortises, such as tongue and groove in ts. or shiplapped ends, or other joint constructions are familiar to the trade. Although interlocking wire closures have been shown and described, other means such as twisted wire closures could be, of course, used. in addition, a top could be added to the container of any suitable construction. Other like changes or modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. The container 16 could, of course, be made any suitable material although the conventional form will normally be constructed of wood with Cir the reinforcing wires 26 being composed of a suitable metal.

The pallet box, which is the subject of this invention, as previously stated, can be readily shipped or stored in a knocked-down condition, and yet it can be easily assembled by an extremely simple, nailing operation. As a matter of fact, as previously indicated, the complete job of assembling the container can be carried out with the use of only seven small nails. In addition, when the container is disassembled, all of the parts are substantially flat and therefore take up a minimum amount of space. Such a feature, of course, is highly desirable in a product of this type.

it may thus be seen that in the present invention applicant has succeeded in combining the desirable features of the separate pallet, with those of the knockdown type of container, and has therefore provided a new and novel type of container having a high degree of utility, and yet which may be readily manufactured at a relatively small cost.

it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the exact embodiments of the device shown, which are merely by way of illustration and not limitation, as various other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A unitary, wire bound, material handling box and pallet, comprising a plurality of side walls, a plurality of iongitudinally extending strands of wire for securing said side walls in assembled relation, a plurality of floor supporting cleats secured in aligned relation to said side members in spaced relation to the bottoms thereof, a door supported by said cleats whereby an upper box portion is formed, a plurality of cleats secured in aligned relation to said side members adjacent the bottom thereof and in spaced relation to said first named cleats, said floor and said cleats forming a pallet portion, each of said side walls being formed with an intermediate portion. with an opening on both sides thereof between said cleats for entry of the fork of a lift truck, a reinforcing member extending between the bottom and floor supporting cleats at the intermediate portions of the two opposed side walls, and means for securing said last named intermediate portions to the ends of said reinforcing member.

2. A unitary, wire bound, material handling box and pallet, comprising a plurality of side walls each formed with corner slats and an intermediate panel slat, said panel slats each having an intermediate portion coextensive in length with said corner slats and portions on both sides thereof which terminate in spaced relation to the lower ends of said corner slats to form openings, a plurality of strands of wire for securing said side walls in assembled relation, a plurality of cleats secured in aligned relation to said slats adjacent the top of said slats and adjacent the bottom of the panel slats on both sides of said intermediate portions, a floor supported by said last named cleats whereby an upper box portion is formed, a plurality of cleats secured in aligned relation to said corner slats and intermediate portions adjacent the bottom ends thereof, said fioor and said floor supporting cleats and said bottom cleats forming a pallet portion for entry of the fork of a lift truck through said openings from any side of said box.

3. A unitary, wire bound, material handling box and pallet according to claim 2, wherein a reinforcing member extends between the bottom and floor supporting cleats at the intermediate portions of two opposed side walls.

4. A unitary, wire bound, material handling box and pallet according to claim 3, wherein said reinforcing member is provided with spaced openings to permit the entry of the fork of a lift truck into the pallet portion through the openings of the other two opposed side walls. 5. A unitary, wire bound material handling box and pallet, comprising a plurality of side walls having top and bottom cleats secured in aligned relation to said side walls, a plurality of longitudinally extending strands of wire for securing said side walls in assembled relation,

a plurality of floor supporting cleats secured in aligned 5 relation to said side walls in spaced relation to the bottoms thereof, a floor supported by said cleats to form a box portion, a pallet portion formed in part by the lower portion of said side walls and in part by said floor and floor supporting cleats and said bottom cleats, at least two of the opposed side walls being formed with an intermediate portion with an opening on both sides thereof in said pallet portion for entry of the fork of a lift truck, a reinforcing member extending between the 3 bottom and floor supporting cleats of said opposed side walls at said intermediate portions, and means for securing the intermediate portions to the ends of the reinforcing memben' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,973,932 Sharp et al Sept. 18, 1934 2,299,175 Procissi et al Oct. 20, 1942 2,503,022 Benoist et al. Apr. 4, 1950 2,503,562 Porter Apr. '11, 1950 2,576,715 Farrell Nov. 27, 1951 

